Taking one step forward, August appeared ten paces away with his dagger raised.


    He stabbed the eye of one of the creatures and proceeded to use sh to dispatch them one by one.


    Each kill brought a new wave of notifications as the thrill of the fight coursed through him.


    ''This is amazing! Hahaha!''


    [Level 2 Skrawling Defeated: +8 EXP]


    [Level 3 Thornback Defeated: +13 EXP]


    [Level 3 Skrawling Defeated: +12 EXP]


    After a few minutes, the corpses of the beastsy before him, slowly dematerializing.


    Despite the satisfaction of defeating the beasts, August noticed that the experience points were meager. It would take countless kills to make any significant progress.


    Thinking about it now he understood that this was due to the fact that he had outgrown this vige and the level of beasts here.


    He proceeded to loot the area, finding some basic supplies and a small chest containing a piece of armor.


    [ Quest Complete: Beast Control ]


    [ Reward: Unique Armor Piece (Shadow Cloak)]


    He equipped the Shadow Cloak, feeling its protective magic envelop him.


    He hoped this would give him the edge he needed to finally reach the Tree of Life.


    As he made his way back to the vige, the sun began to set, casting long shadows across thendscape. The vigers greeted him with cheers and gratitude as their faces beamed with hope.


    August felt a sense of aplishment.


    "Maybe dying isn''t such a bad thing after all," He chuckled.


    With the new armor, he was one step closer to oveing the challenges thaty ahead.


    He opened his menu and checked his progress:


    ...


    Level: 12


    EXP: 7990/25000


    Gold: 175


    ...


    "Time to head for the tree of life," he murmured with a tone of determination.


    August made his way forward down a long winding path that led towards the outskirts of unhidden mist.


    Since it was really a small vige with shortmercial pathways, it didn''t take him long to reach a particr exaltedndscaped area.


    Just right ahead, was the tree of life... The key to unlocking other regions beyond this vige.


    From August memories, once a yer was ten paces from the tree, the system would carry out an analysis check.


    < Conducting yer Analysis... >


    < Calcting Strength Of yer''s Resistance... >


    < yer''s Resistance Is 0% >


    < Calcting Strength Of yer''s Basic Armor Resistance... >


    ''This is it...'' From what August could recall, this is what would determine whether or not he could get close and finally touch the tree.


    < yer''s Resistance Has Been Increased To 2% >


    "Shit!" August cursed.


    < Calcting Strength Of yer''s Unique D Tier Shadow Cloak Armor Resistance... >


    August''s eyes lit up with hope again.


    < yer''s Resistance Has Been Increased To 15% >


    < It Has Been Determined That yer Will Be Unable To Reach The Tree Of Life >


    "Fuck!" August spat before letting out a sigh.


    He had thought that this would be enough.


    A couple of memories suddenly shed in his mind at this moment.


    "Oh?" He touched the cloak draped around his frame.


    "Ohhh," he immediately understood why the quest felt familiar earlier.


    He had been repeating the same type of quests endlessly and had gotten this unique cloak multiple times.


    August always sold it in frustration, trying to scrap up enough coins to buy an armor that could actually be of use in this situation.


    Unfortunately, such armors cost an arm and a leg. They were incredibly expensive and August was incapable of incurring another debt.


    Being confined in this vige meant he couldn''t visit other regions: Cities, Kingdoms, Magical Caves, and the like, where he could grind to make progress.


    yers had left this ce a long time ago while he was still stuck there.


    This was a huge problem.


    "There must be a way to leave..." August recalled his past as Reacher.


    He was never one to back down. Finding solutions to a problem was a major specialty of his.


    But could he truly find a solution to a problem that the real August had battled with for months?


    ---


    August stood at the edge of the vige as his eyes scanned the horizon for any hint of the path he needed to take.


    Despite his best efforts over the past two days, he hadn''t been able to find a way out of the Vige of Unhidden Mist.


    The Tree of Life quest continued to elude him, and the magical barrier around the tree remained impassable.


    He sighed, feeling both frustrated and exhausted. His not-so-new armor, the Shadow Cloak, had given him hope, but it hadn''t been enough to solve his problem.


    A system notification suddenly appeared:


    [Reminder: You have been logged in for an extended period. It is rmended to take breaks for your health and well-being.]


    August knew he couldn''t ignore the real world any longer. It had been a full day in the outside world since he had logged into Enders Light, and responsibilities awaited him outside the game.


    With a heavy heart, he opened the system menu and selected the log-off option.


    "See you soon, Enders Light," he muttered, watching as the vibrant world around him dissolved into darkness.


    He felt a gentle jolt as he was pulled back into reality. The pod''s hatch opened with a soft hiss, and he removed the helmet, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the dim light of his apartment.


    The familiar sounds of the real world—traffic outside, the buzz of the refrigerator—were proof that he had returned to reality.


    He nced at the clock on the wall. It was early morning, and he had just enough time to get ready for work. He stood up, feeling the stiffness in his muscles from lying in the pod for so long, and stretched.


    As he made his way to the kitchen, he saw Sophia still asleep on the couch, curled up under a thin nket. Her angelic face looked peaceful in sleep causing August to smile faintly.


    "Time to face reality," August whispered to himself. He quickly prepared a simple breakfast and left a note for Sophia, reminding her to take care of herself.


    Dressed in his worn work clothes, August left the apartment and headed to the factory.


    The walk was familiar... It was the same route he had taken countless times before or rather urately, August had.


    He boarded a bus and dropped at a particr station.


    The factory loomed ahead. It was arge, grimy building that seemed to swallow the morning light.


    August proceeded to head in.


    Inside, the air was thick with the smell of oil and metal.


    The constant vibrations of machinery and the tter of tools created a disturbing noise that filled the space but such was the space of hard honest day-to-day work.


    August made his way to his workstation, where his friend Derrick was already hard at work.


    "Morning, Derrick," August greeted, trying to muster some enthusiasm.


    Derrick looked up with a weary smile on his face. He was a burly man with calloused hands and kind eyes. "Morning, August. You look like you haven''t slept in days."


    August chuckled even though there was little humor in it. "Feels like it. Been trying to make some progress in Enders Light. It''s been a rough few days."


    "I thought you quit?" Derrick questioned with a slightly surprised tone.


    "Well, I got back into it. It''s pretty fun," August replied while clearing his throat.


    Derrick nodded with a look of understanding; "Let''s get through this day first and you can tell me all about itter."


    The workday began in earnest. August and Derrick were part of the assembly line crew, responsible for lifting heavy crates of raw materials and feeding them into the machines that processed and shaped them into variousponents.


    It was grueling work that required both strength and endurance. Despite August''s slim and delicate appearance, he was pretty fit.


    August gritted his teeth as he lifted a particrly heavy crate with strain evident in his muscles. He carried it to the conveyor belt, nearly buckling from the weight pressing down on him. Derrick beside him was effortlessly handling his own load.


    August might be a little fit but Derrick was a whole different beast.


    "Here, let me help," Derrick said upon noticing August''s struggle.


    Together, they managed to ce the crate on the belt, the machinery whirring to life as it processed the contents.


    "Thanks, man," August panted while wiping sweat from his brow. "These things seem to get heavier every day."


    Derrick chuckled. "Or maybe we''re just getting weaker."


    The factory was a harsh environment. The noise was deafening, and the air was filled with the acrid smell of molten metal and lubricants.


    Workers moved in a constant rhythm with groggy faces set as they toiled away. Breaks were few and far between, and the supervisors were always watching, ensuring that everyone kept up the pace.


    By mid-morning, August''s muscles were aching, and his hands were raw from handling the rough crates. He nced at the clock, counting down the hours until their lunch break. Each minute felt like an eternity.


    When the lunch bell finally rang, August and Derrick headed to the small break room, where they sat down with their packed lunches. The room was filled with the low murmur of exhausted workers, all trying to recover some energy before the afternoon shift.


    Derrick sat beside August with a look of seriousness. "How is Sophia?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om